What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

Frank Bridge: 'The Sea' conducted by (his old student) Benjamin Britten with the English Chamber Orchestra - a very fine performance (from 1971). Britten was blown away by hearing this work as a child and it obviously influenced on his own Sea Interludes from 'Peter Grimes'.

[Linz]

Sibelius Symphony 4 & 5 Sanderling conducting CD16 from this Set

[classicalgeek]

And I think that you get two versions of VW's 6th Symphony in that excellent Boult boxed set.

Indeed you do! One from 1949, the other from Boult's second cycle (1967). I listened to the later one... I'll admit that while some mono is perfectly fine, it has a tendency to wear on me, especially in a longer work, so I shied away from the earlier performance for that reason. I'll eventually listen to it, though!

[Florestan]

Casadesus/Szell and Moravec/Vlach.

I have the former and I set the latter in seek-and-capture mode.

As far as incomplete goes, I've just recently got the Heidsieck / Graf and played the 25th --- I was completely bowled over.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Beethoven
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
Quatuor Ebène



Beethoven's late SQs have been a huge source of inspiration for me.

[Bachtoven]

Fascinating!    Available on Spotify, so will take a listen - thanks.  Dave

You're welcome. While you're at it, see if they have this one. It's equally good but has different repertoire--3 of Bach's Lute Suites.

[Bachtoven]

Hi Bachtoven - well, you've pointed out the near impossibility of doing the Goldberg Variations on a single guitar (as I posted the other day), what do you feel about the recording above?  Boy, a total of 20 strings - should be enough?   

My issue is 84 mins is put on 2 discs at an escalated price, as added above from PrestoMusic - thoughts?  Thanks - Dave

Sorry--I just saw this. Mmm...it has its moments, but the low notes lack definition, and the guitarist who plays the upper voices has rather weak slur technique, so several of the ornaments lack articulation. Also, a few variations are rather slow, which isn't necessarily bad. Good effort, though!

EDIT: It's nominated for an International Classical Music Awards for 2022, so perhaps I'm being too harsh.

[Brian]

Good news: the Authenticity Police can stand down about this recording of "Le Tombeau," which includes the Fugue and Toccata as orchestrated in 2013 by Kenneth Hesketh. The Hesketh versions are absolutely bang-on accurate evocations of Ravel's soundworld, with glowing impressionist strings, bubbling winds, tiny instrumental details inspired by/quoting from other Ravel works, and the same modest orchestral forces as the other four movements. It's absolutely superb work, more satisfying than the four-movement Ravel version (though of course it still isn't as good as the original piano suite). The only complaint I have concerns a tiny detail of the performance - trumpet not prominent enough in the first bars of the Rigaudon.

Of course, there is a previous orchestration of these two movements by Zoltan Kocsis. And of course the Kocsis version is good too. Kocsis' vision of the toccata is more toccat-ish, in that the strings like the winds are treated like staccato repeated-note spinners. Kocsis, however, adds considerable percussion - snare drum, celesta, tambourine, maracas, chimes, and that wind machine type thing that goes weeeeeeeooooo - which makes his orchestra different from the Ravel original. I also don't remember the Ravel movements having so many trombones in them.

I will now be looking up Kenneth Hesketh's original compositions. He's clearly very, very good.

[Linz]

Markus Poschner Bruckner Symphony in D "Nulte"

[Florestan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-NCHwVq7C8

I liked Thomas Quasthoff's voice at first hearing. At the time I had no idea whatsoever he was so severely handicapped. The first time I became aware of it I almost cried --- it was this Mozart concert aria, which to this day is my favorite.

God bless you, Thomas Quasthoff!

[Symphonic Addict]

Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Shakespeare Overtures:
Julius Caesar
The Taming of the Shrew
Antony and Cleopatra
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Coriolanus
Twelfth Night
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Penny
(on Spotify)



What a delight these are! Thanks to Cesar/Symphonic Addict for the recommendation. You're right, they sound a little Korngoldian, right down to the orchestration. Which isn't to say they're derivative; far from it. I especially enjoyed Taming of the Shrew and Midsummer Night's Dream, but they were all quite lovely. Looking forward to the second disc!

Good to hear, CG! Indeed, Castelnuovo-Tedesco stands out among the Italians for his colourful, somewhat rhapsodic style. The orchestra and conductor do a good job in these Naxos discs.

[Symphonic Addict]

Strauss: Symphonic Synthesis from Die Frau ohne Schatten

I'm a sucker for orchestral synthesis like this. Really stupendous stuff. The quality of performance and recording are just top-notch.

[Linz]

Sibelius Symphony Nos. 6 & 7 as well as Night Ride and Sunrise Kurt Sanderling in the last disc of this set

[VonStupp]

WA Mozart
Requiem (rec. 1968)

Edith Mathis - soprano, Grace Bumbry - contralto
George Shirley - tenor, Marius Rinztler - bass
New Philharmonia Orch. & Chorus - Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos

I don't visit Mozart's Requiem too often, but this is perhaps the most harried version on modern instruments I have heard. A varied cast of Verdi-sized soloists add to the weight of this affair.

I may try another older recording later this week, just for comparison sake, since I haven't heard this work in a great while.

VS

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Ginastera
Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op. 15
Barbara Nissman, piano

From this fabulous 2-CD set -

[Symphonic Addict]

This week just rediscovered two outstanding sixths: Ivanovs, and now Popov; there is much of a patriotic spirit in both works.

[André]

This week just rediscovered two outstanding sixths: Ivanovs, and now Popov; there is much of a patriotic spirit in both works.

Great disc !

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Ginastera
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 53
Barbara Nissman, piano

From this 2-CD set -

[André]

Disc 1, two versions of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Come Thou, of Man the Saviour). Composed in 1714 and 1724, they are very different in character as well as textually (only the first verse is common to both works, everything else is different). No 61 presents Christ pantocrator (in Majesty). It is a solemn, sometimes stern work (Behold, I stand at the door and knock » from Revelation 3 is an arresting moment). No 62 welcomes Him joyfully, as if the admonestation of no 61 had been heeded and the door opened. Superb performances, full of vigour and colour. Only the soprano soloist of 61 (an out of tune boy treble) mars the enjoyment. Bass Ruud van der Meer is admirable in his arias. One of Harnoncourt's best efforts in the whole series.

[Symphonic Addict]

Great disc !

Certainly. The Chamber Symphony has enormous merits to be listened by as well. A fascinating piece.